Born and brought up near Camborne, Derek R. Williams has retained close links with his Cornish homeland, despite working in the Welsh Marches as a librarian for many years before his recent retirement. He was educated at Redruth Grammar School and the University of Leicester before studying for a Diploma in Education at St Luke’s College, Exeter. Over the last twenty years or so, he has written, edited or co-edited a number of books, including three about seminal figures in the rebirth and continued progress of Cornish culture, language and identity, namely Henry Jenner, Robert Morton Nance and, more recently, Richard G. Jenkin. In addition to books, Derek R. Williams has contributed articles and book reviews to a number of mainly Cornish periodicals and newspapers, including Cornish Studies, Old Cornwall, The Cornish Banner and the Western Morning News.